Alumni memorabilia

Anecdotes FROM THE ARCHIVE

Our archives and Heritage Centre are now in their seventh year and firmly ensconced in Fermoy Cottage in Brisbane Street. Each day when I settle in to work here, I soak up the ambience and count myself lucky to have the best workplace in Hobart! My little cottage used to be known as Cook’s cottage, as it once belonged to Mr Cook, of Cook’s Buses fame, whose family home it was for many years. There are a number of former scholars who remember boarding with the Cook family after they left St Mary’s and went into employment. One lady told me that when her fiancé brought her back to the cottage after a date, they were only allowed to linger on the verandah for a few minutes before Mrs Cook let her know it was time to come in.

It has been through listening to the stories of others that I have gleaned my most interesting tales about St Mary’s and its past. I read in a Santa Maria that there was once a Brownies pack at St Mary’s, but was unable to find much further information about it. Then magically, Mrs Mary Smith (McManus), Head Prefect 1951, and a great friend of the school, turned up at the cottage one day last year with a photo of the Brownie pack as it was in her time, and some anecdotes about their activities.

Recently, I took up the subject again with Mary and thanks to her wonderful memory, she has helped fill the gaps. Mary joined the St Mary’s Brownies in the early 1940s, when she was in Year 4. About six of the Brownies had been in other packs, while the rest, like Mary, were new to Brownies.

As it was war-time, there was only light brown material available for their uniforms, which had to be bought with their clothing coupons. Meetings were held weekly on Saturdays in the Assembly Room (now the staff dining room), and one year they held a display in St Peter’s Hall for parents and the Sisters. Mary recalls that Gwenda McVilly (later to become Sr Joseph), was the leader of the Elves, with two stripes on her uniform, and Janet Haywood was the leader of the Fairies, with two stripes on hers. Carmel Case and Moya Doyle (sister of Adrian, future Archbishop), were their seconders. Mary recalls that Moya received the highest possible Brownies award.

On Thinking Day, the Brownies were allowed to wear their uniforms to school, to show people that they belonged to an organisation which tried to act well and do good things. In Year 7, Mary joined the St Mary’s Girl Guide troop, which met on Friday nights at the Congregational Hall. The St Mary’s Guides were allowed to wear a brown tie with blue stripes across it. Some of her fellow Brownies went on to join the Guides with her. Once the Guides went on a camp at Taroona, but they laughed and giggled so much during the night, that the next morning they were sent home! It is poignant that even after many decades, Mary remembers a prayer which the Guides used to link their arms to recite:

On the strength of each link in the cable, dependeth the might of the chain.

Who knows when thou mayest be tested,

So live that thou bearest the strain.

Margaret Rootes College Archivist

A room of memorabilia in Fermoy Cottage. The SMC Brownies in the 1930s.

150 Faces of St Mary's College

GENERATION PINS FOR SALE

At the conclusion of our anniversary year, the College thought it was fitting to acknowledge the many generations that have passed through St Mary’s in its 150-year-history by introducing a series of generation pins. The pins currently extend to six generations. The generation pins are now available to purchase for $8.00 at the Student Services Office, once proof of family attendance has been verified through completing the form available on the College website: https://www.smc.tas.edu.au/past-scholarsassociation/ and sending it to the College Archivist, Margaret Rootes: mrootes@smc.tas.edu.au Still haven’t gotten around to ordering yourself a copy of the 150 Faces of St Mary’s College book? It’s not too late! There are still a few copies available to purchase. This beautifully written coffee table book is a thoughtful gift for any SMC alumni who still holds St Mary’s close to their heart. You’re bound to see some faces you recognise in one of the 288 pages!

To get your hands on a copy of the book, download an order form from the SMC website, send us an email, or give us a call.

Website: www.smc.tas.edu.au/150th-anniversary/ Phone: (03) 6108 2560 Email: communications@smc.tas.edu.au

Both cash and credit cards are accepted and for an additional $15 we can send your copy in the post.